SHINE Main Office Lines: 706-444-2200 or 478-776-0093

The Active Living portion of the SHINE Program will implement these proven public health strategies:

• Access to safe places for physical activity
  • Assessing concerns related to increasing physical activity through community design by engaging community organizations and experts who can address these concerns.
  • Assessing access to parks, trails, greenways, and recreational facilities and working with community coalitions to create or improve safe access to these locations.
• Establishing partnerships and collaborations
  • Collaborating with partners to put into action new or improved plans and policies, activity-friendly districts, and/or other activities to create activity-friendly communities.
  • Working with partners to update zoning codes to include activity friendly design.
  • Working with partners to establish or update comprehensive plans.
  • Establishing, expanding, or participating in a cross-sectoral coalition including people affected by health disparities in community design for physical activity and the public health, transportation, community planning, and parks and recreation sectors.
• Ensuring bicycle routes, transit transportation, and sidewalks to everyday destinations 
  • Roadways without sidewalks are more than twice as likely to have pedestrian crashes as sites with sidewalks on both sides of the street.
  • Reliable transportation is needed for rural residents to access healthcare services, consumer services, employment and educational opportunities, and social services.
  • Bike paths ensure the safety of cyclists, promote active lifestyles, boost local economies, and contribute to a greener environment.

The Physical Activity Strategy creates or enhances access to places for physical activity and provides information to encourage their use. Places can include public parks and trails, fitness and recreational facilities, schools and universities, malls, senior centers, and worksites. Information may involve training, incentives, and teaching about healthy behaviors. Worksites, school districts, early childhood and education (ECE) facilities, organizations, and community coalitions can improve access to safe places to be physically active for young people and adults.

The SHINE Program will work closely with the local health department, other community partners, and existing coalitions.

Please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, suggestions, or further discussion. If you are interested in becoming a SHINE partner, visit our website at NCHD52.org/SHINE.

Morgan Scott
Active Living Coordinator/SHINE Program
Cell 478-245-7803/morgan.scott@dph.ga.gov  

The Early Childhood Education (ECE) portion of the SHINE Program will implement these proven public health strategies: 

• Implement or strengthen policies that support breastfeeding.
  • Georgia’s average breastfeeding initiation rate is 83%, while Baldwin county’s average is 64.7%, Hancock County is 46.8% and Washington county is 58.7%. 
  • Certain factors make a difference in whether and how long babies are breastfed, including Education and encouragement, policies and support in the workplace and childcare centers, and access to community support. 
• Nutrition and Physical Activity
  • Young children who are overweight in kindergarten are 4 times more likely to have obesity by 8th grade than those who are not overweight in kindergarten.  
  • Starting healthy habits for physical activity and nutrition in early childhood influences activity levels as children grow.  
• Farm to ECE
  • Farm to early childhood education supports cognitive, physical and social-emotional development, school readiness and lifelong healthy eating. 
  • Farm to early care and education does not just impact the children but also their families and parents by developing lifelong eating habits, nutrition education and exposure to local foods. 

We know that the ECE setting can directly influence what children eat and drink and how active they are. This builds the foundation for healthy habits.  

The SHINE Program will work closely with the local health department, other community partners, and existing coalitions.

Please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, suggestions, or further discussion. If you are interested in becoming a SHINE partner, visit our website at NCHD52.org/SHINE.  

Kristine Garner 
ECE Coordinator/SHINE program 
Cell 478-538-8000/Kristine.garner1@dph.ga.gov  

The Nutrition portion of the SHINE Program will implement these proven public health strategies: 

• Promote food service & nutrition guidelines
  • Applying food service or nutrition guidelinesin food banks and pantries can improve healthy food access where foods and beverages are sold, served, and distributed.
  • Healthy eating patterns help people live longer, strengthen their immune systems, and have fewer chronic diseases 
  • Only 1 in 10 US adults eats enough fruits and vegetables every day.
  • Among adolescents, 7% met the recommendation for fruits, while only 2% met the recommendation for vegetables 
• Expansion of fruit and vegetable voucher programs
  • Improve both affordability and access to healthier food 
  • Engage community members, food systems representatives, and other experts to ensure that initiatives promote easier access to fruits and vegetables in the food system 
  • Increase market demand for fruits and vegetables, which can increase sales for local farmers, food hubs, aggregators, distributors, and retailers 
• Expansion of produce prescription programs
  • Support policies that increase participation in incentive or prescription initiatives 
  • Improves health outcomes by reducing financial burden and promoting the consumption of nutrient-rich foods 
  • Increased fruit and vegetable consumption can reduce the progression of chronic disease and is associated with lowered risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, and premature death 

The goal is to get as much community support as needed to help improve access to healthy fruits and vegetables, promote food service and nutrition guidelines, and enhance the already available incentives in local communities. 

The SHINE Program will work closely with the local health department, other community partners, and existing coalitions.

Please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, suggestions, or further discussion. If you are interested in becoming a SHINE partner, visit our website at NCHD52.org/SHINE.  

Mankesia Brown 
Nutrition Coordinator/SHINE Program 
Cell 478-832-7573/Mankesia.brown2@dph.ga.gov  

The Vaccine Promotion portion of the SHINE Program will implement these proven public health strategies: 

• Increase awareness, confidence, demand, and access for all routinely recommended adult vaccines.
  • Educate and empower trusted voices in the communities. 
  • Identify and train local vaccine promotion ambassadors to share information in their communities.  
• Enhance provider partnerships and increase opportunities for vaccines.
  • Local Health Departments, CORE, Drug Stores
  • Mobile Vaccine clinics

Findings show that one of the primary reasons people get vaccinated is to protect themselves and to protect their loved ones.  SHINE will work to increase access to vaccines and vaccine education to all adults including uninsured and under insured adults. 

The SHINE Program will work closely with the local health department, other community partners, and existing coalitions.

If you are interested in becoming a SHINE partner, visit our website at NCHD52.org/SHINE.